City of Grants Pass v. Johnson . On Friday, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 along ideological lines to uphold ordinances in the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, that outlaw sleeping and camping in public places while using materials like blankets, pillows, or cardboard boxes for warmth or shelter. The decision overturns a lower court’s determination that such laws are unconstitutional and grants greater authority to local governments to address homelessness in their communities. ...
Jul 03, 2024•27 min
Trump v. United States . On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that former President Donald Trump is entitled to immunity from federal prosecution for his official actions while in office. The decision is the first Supreme Court ruling to assert that former presidents are shielded from criminal charges for actions deemed to be within their constitutional authority, though it also clarified that presidents do not have immunity for unofficial acts. The ruling, which fell alo...
Jul 02, 2024•28 min
The end of Chevron deference. On Friday, the Supreme Court overruled the court’s 1984 decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council , which deferred to the judgment of federal agencies in interpreting statutory text to create regulations based on ambiguous laws. The 6-3 ruling fell along ideological lines, with the court’s six Republican-appointed justices in the majority. The decision is expected to shift the balance of power between the execut...
Jul 01, 2024•27 min
Last night, Tangle editors Ari Weitzman and Will Kaback were tuned into the debate along with Isaac. We thought it’d be extra informative, even fun, to supplement today's newsletter with some additional commentary and thoughts from our editors. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can catch our latest YouTube video on Juneteenth here . Check out Episode 4 of our podcast series The Undecideds . Please give us a 5-star rating and leave a comment! Y...
Jun 28, 2024•55 min
The NY-16 primary. On Tuesday, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) lost to Democratic challenger George Latimer in the primary election for New York’s 16th Congressional District. The race was one of the most closely watched primaries in the country and the most expensive House primary ever, with around $24 million spent on advertising alone. Latimer led Bowman 58%-42% with 88% of the vote counted as of this morning. Latimer will now face Republican Miriam F...
Jun 27, 2024•27 min
Julian Assange’s plea deal. On Tuesday, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was released from a British prison to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge with the U.S. Justice Department. After his release, Assange traveled to the island of Saipan in the U.S. territory of the Marianas Islands in the Pacific, where he stood trial at 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday morning (Tuesday at 7 p.m. Eastern Time). If you’re interested, you can read what I've previously written about Assang...
Jun 26, 2024•29 min
The Ten Commandments law in Louisiana . Last week, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed a bill requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom in the state — from elementary school up to public colleges. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can catch our latest YouTube video on Juneteenth here . We were previously publishing these episodes on our Tangle podcast pa...
Jun 26, 2024•28 min
United States v. Rahimi . On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld a federal law barring anyone subject to a restraining order for domestic violence from possessing firearms. The ruling reversed a judgment by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the law violated the Second Amendment’s guarantee of a right to keep and bear arms. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can catch our latest YouT...
Jun 24, 2024•29 min
On today's episode, Isaac and Ari talk about recent Supreme Court rulings and the potential impact of upcoming cases, the controversial law in Louisiana that requires the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, Will Kaback's Friday piece on RFK Jr. and his potential impact in the 2024 presidential election, and one Airing of Grievances, as well as one computer dying. You can catch our latest YouTube video on Juneteenth here . We were previously publishing these episodes on o...
Jun 23, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Biden’s new immigration executive order. On Tuesday, President Biden announced a large-scale immigration program offering unauthorized immigrants married to American citizens legal status and an expedited pathway to citizenship for them and their children. The executive order will allow applicants to live and work in the United States legally under an existing policy called “Parole in Place,” which grants temporary legal status for immigrants seeking long-term residency. Immigrants w...
Jun 21, 2024•31 min
The bump-stock ban. On Friday, a divided Supreme Court struck down a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, the gun attachment used to make semi-automatic weapons fire at a rate similar to fully automatic firearms. The court broke 6-3 along ideological lines , with all three liberal justices in dissent. In the majority opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas emphasized that Congress has not enacted a law to ban weapons capable of high rates of fire, so the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosi...
Jun 18, 2024•35 min
The Supreme Court’s abortion pill ruling . On Thursday, the court unanimously rejected a lawsuit brought by pro-life medical groups and doctors that aimed to restrict access to mifepristone, a drug commonly used in medication abortions. The justices did not rule on the merits of the arguments, instead dismissing the case because the plaintiffs lacked standing, or a legal right to sue. You can read our previous coverage of this case here and here . You can read today...
Jun 17, 2024•27 min
On today's episode, Ari shares a ghost story, Isaac and Ari talk about Project 2025, the latest inflation report and the partisan views around it, and as always, the Airing of Grievances. You can catch our latest YouTube video, an interview with Alyssa Cass and Pat Rosenstiel, and their efforts to make the popular vote the official decision in electing the US President, here . We were previously publishing these episodes on our Tangle podcast page, but we just re-launched the series — and ...
Jun 16, 2024•1 hr 3 min
The latest economic indicators. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for May, which showed an increase of 3.3% from a year earlier , slightly slower than April’s 3.4% rate. On a month-to-month basis, prices remained the same for the first time since July 2022. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.2%, its slowest pace since October 2023. You can read our coverage of past inflation repo...
Jun 13, 2024•28 min
Israel's hostage rescue. On Saturday, Israel rescued four living hostages from inside the Nuseirat refugee camp in Central Gaza. The hostages were freed eight months after they were kidnapped by Hamas militants who had crossed the border into Israel. All four — Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv — were abducted from the Nova music festival in Southern Israel on October 7. An estimated 116 of the 250 hostages taken remain in Gaza, at least 40 of wh...
Jun 13, 2024•29 min
New York’s congestion pricing pause. On Wednesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) paused a plan to implement a “congestion” toll on motorists entering Manhattan below 60th Street. The toll, scheduled to go into effect on June 30, was intended to relieve gridlock, improve air quality, and provide roughly $1 billion a year to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to modernize the city’s century-old transit infrastructure. You can read today's podcast here , our “...
Jun 11, 2024•30 min
Hunter Biden's trial. On Friday, federal prosecutors rested their case against Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, who is facing three felony charges related to a 2018 firearm purchase he allegedly made while using drugs. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can catch our latest YouTube video, an interview with Alyssa Cass and Pat Rosenstiel, and their efforts to make the popular vote the of...
Jun 10, 2024•30 min
On today's episode, Isaac and Ari hold the inaugural Tangle Congressional Draft. Each of them take turns selecting sitting members of Congress to make their own dream team Congress. discussing their reasoning behind each pick. And as always, they finish strong with the Airing of Grievances. YouTube comments are usually a place to find complaints, anger, and division. But on our latest video — my interview with Haviv Gur — I’ve been humbled to find overwhelmingly positive feedback. If...
Jun 09, 2024•1 hr 57 min
Biden’s new border policy. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden issued an executive order to temporarily shut down all asylum requests at the southern U.S. border when the seven-day average of daily encounters at official ports of entry tops 2,500 per day. The measure grants authorities the power to quickly deport migrants caught crossing illegally or turn them back to Mexico, with exceptions for unaccompanied children, people who face serious medical or safety threats and victims of trafficking, the...
Jun 06, 2024•31 min
Dr. Anthony Fauci’s congressional testimony. On Monday, Dr. Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and former chief White House medical advisor, sat for a three-and-a-half hour hearing before the special House subcommittee investigating the origins of Covid-19. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can find the internship application page ...
Jun 05, 2024•39 min
Mexico's new president. Over the weekend, Claudia Sheinbaum became Mexico's first female president in a landslide victory . Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and longtime activist for the political left, will take the helm from her mentor and outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (also known as AMLO). She is not just Mexico’s first female president, but the first woman to win a national election in the U.S., Mexico or Canada, as well as Mexico’s first president of Jewish descent. Her victo...
Jun 04, 2024•28 min
Biden’s new rules for Ukraine. On Thursday, Politico reported that the Biden administration had permitted Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to carry out strikes inside Russia, though only near the area of Kharkiv. The significant shift in U.S. policy on the Ukraine-Russia war comes after the start of Russia’s surprise offensive in the Kharkiv province in early May. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is 19 miles from the Russian border. The decision also marks the first time an American president ...
Jun 03, 2024•27 min
On today's episode, Ari returns from his travels and Isaac couldn't be more thrilled, especially with Ari's mic choice. They talk about their predictions on the Trump verdict (this was recorded about 2 hours before the verdict and aged really well...), 2024 election predictions, a listener question about our podcast series, The Undecideds, and as always, the Airing of Grievances. YouTube comments are usually a place to find complaints, anger, and division. But on our latest video — my interview ...
Jun 02, 2024•1 hr 23 min
The Trump verdict. On Thursday, former President Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a “hush money” payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The jury deliberated for two days to find Trump guilty, making him the first former president in U.S. history to be convicted of a crime. You can read our previous coverage of the trial here . You can read me expounding on previous My Take ideas in past Tangle editions here , here , and here . You c...
May 31, 2024•27 min
Louisiana’s abortion pill law. Last Friday, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R) signed a bill classifying two abortion-inducing medications as controlled substances whose possession without a prescription will be punishable by 1-5 years in prison . The measure applies to mifepristone and misoprostol , the drugs used in medication abortions, and will take effect on October 1. You can find our previous coverage of the Supreme Court arguments over the FDA’s approval and regulation of mifepristone he...
May 30, 2024•29 min
South Carolina's congressional map. On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that South Carolina could use a congressional map that a lower court had deemed unconstitutional. The court’s conservative majority found that the federal district court had erred when it determined the map unconstitutionally sorted voters primarily based on their race (also known as racial gerrymandering). The majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, supports the state’s map as drawn, secures Re...
May 29, 2024•35 min
The latest in the Israel-Hamas war. On Monday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged a "tragic mistake" after a strike in Rafah killed at least 45 Palestinians sheltering in a tent camp, according to local officials. Israel initially claimed the strike hit a Hamas installation and killed two senior militants, though it announced an investigation into the incident shortly after news broke about the civilian death toll. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Ra...
May 28, 2024•28 min
I spoke with Haviv Gur, an Israeli analyst who — in my humble opinion — is one of the deepest thinkers covering Israel, Palestine, and the conflict between the two. Gur disagrees strongly with my call for a ceasefire , and his arguments are the best I’ve heard. He spoke at length about how a ceasefire would harm Palestinians more than Israelis, the issues motivating Hamas, the state of Islam in the region, the current dynamics of the war, what the Palestinians are owed, and how we mig...
May 26, 2024•1 hr 31 min
The Daniel Perry pardon. Last Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) pardoned Daniel Perry, a former U.S. Army sergeant who was convicted of murdering Black Lives Matter protester Garrett Foster in Austin, Texas, in 2020. Abbott’s decision came shortly after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended a full pardon for Perry. Perry’s firearm rights will be fully restored as part of the pardon, though he still faces a misdemeanor deadly conduct charge for the shooting. You can read today'...
May 23, 2024•38 min
The helicopter crash in Iran. On Sunday, a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and six others crashed near Jolfa, Iran. After an extensive search and rescue effort, the crash site was located on Monday morning and Raisi, Abdollahian, and all other occupants of the helicopter were pronounced dead. Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will serve as acting president until a new election is held on June 28. You can read today's podcast h...
May 22, 2024•28 min
